Chapter 22

Catalina's POV

Lucifer lifted both his hands up and slowly began to back away from the door as I entered the house, dagger in hand, poised at his chest.

"What in the actual fuck are you doing?"

Gabriel asked, finally starting to regain consciousness after I knocked him out.

Honestly, he kind of deserved it.

Without taking my eyes off Lucifer I answered Gabriel, "Killing your brother."

I watched as Lucifer put his hands down and yelled,

"WHAT!"

I lunged for Lucifer but Gabriel stepped in between us,

"Why the hell do you want to kill him?"

"Because I refuse to be another person's pawn."

Lucifer took a slight step forward before speaking,

"What did Micheal tell you?"

Still, with my dagger in hand, I answered him,

"Everything."

Gabriel and Lucifer shared a look

What the hell does that look mean?

"Catalina put the dagger down so we can talk."

TALK!

Still looking at Lucifer I answered Gabriel,

"What is there to talk about, he wants to kill me!"

Lucifer took another step forward as he shouted,

"I WOULD NEVER HURT YOU!"

LIES!

"LIAR!" I lunged toward him but Gabriel held me back,

"Alright everyone just calm down and let's talk about this."

"Screw talking about it, I wanna kill him!"

I shouted as I struggled to get out of Gabriel's arms.

"Well, you can't kill him so let's sit down and fucking talk."

Gabriel released me and held out his hand for the dagger,

"Please, Catalina."

I handed over the dagger to Gabriel who motioned for me to head to the kitchen.

This is not going to end well.

* * *

Lucifer's POV

"The ball is in your court brother, don't fuck it up," Gabriel whispered to me as he led Catalina into the kitchen.

She is incredibly angry and she has every right to be, but how can someone this angry still look so beautiful?

Catalina took the seat across from me and sat beside Gabriel.

"What did Micheal tell you?"

Catalina leaned back in her chair, and without taking her eyes off me she answered,

"He told me why you fell and what you did."

What I did!

"So Micheal told you about Lilith and the lock?" Gabriel asked her,

Still looking at me she answered him,

"Yep."

Gabriel shifted uncomfortably,

"And I assume he also told you about what it would take to break the lock."

"Every detail." She said, Those piercing green eyes were still locked on me.

You shouldn't believe him. I would never harm you!

Gabriel sighed as he ran his hands through his golden hair,

"Well shit, Lucifer, you have anything to say?"

Without taking my eyes off Catalina I said the one thing I had been waiting eons to say,

"Micheal is a liar."

Catalina laughed, but it wasn't the soft comforting laughter I had come to know, this was a laugh that was full of rage.

"And I suppose I'm supposed to believe you? Because you have been so honest and upfront with me right?"

I knew keeping the rest of the vision would come to bite me in the ass and it did.

"Ask me any damn question you want and I will answer it."

Anything. Anything she asked I will answer it. I can do this. I can be honest with her.

Catalina leaned forward and asked,

"What happened to Lilith?"

Shit.

"She is Safe. Somewhere away from people like Micheal and Adam."

"Is she alive?" She asked without hesitation

"She is."

Gabriel's eyes slightly widened as he asked "Where the hell is she?"

I wish I could tell you brother.

We went silent for a moment. If I told him where Lilith was it would be a betrayal of her trust and a compromise to her safety. I couldn't do that to her.

"Tell me about the vision."

No lies. No bullshit.

"It was after that night at the bar when you conjured up that little ember for me. Your flame didn't burn me. Gabriel and I were concerned so we sought out an old buddy of ours, we just wanted to know how you, a mortal girl, could have Hellfire-"

"I know that you already told me about that."

Gabriel rested his hand on top of Catalina's and told her "Please listen."

I've never wanted to break my brother's hand more than I did at this moment.

"The Fates showed us what the psychic your mother went to saw. The psychic explained to your mother that you were damned to Hell but your mother left before she could explain that you would not suffer, that you would rule by my side."

Please don't be afraid. Please don't be scared.

"The psychic saw two figures appear from the shadows, You and I, both with crowns atop our heads, hand in hand."

Catalina immediately stood up and started to pace around the house. I followed her.

"Why the hell didn't you tell me!"

"I didn't tell you because I wanted it to be your choice. If you had feelings for me I wanted them to be genuine not because some old twit saw us. I didn't want you to feel like you had to be with me because you had to, I wanted you to want to be with me because You wanted to, But most importantly I did not want to frighten you."

She finally stopped and turned to me and I took her hands in mine "I did not know how to break the lock. I would never hurt you and I would never use you. I swear to you."

I brushed a strand of hair away from her face and gently tucked it behind her ear,

"I would rather spend the rest of my life here with you than spend an eternity without you."

Catalina stared at me as I intertwined our fingers,

"I love you, Catalina."

She remained silent for a moment.

Please believe me. Please. You know me.

Gabriel coughed, pulling our attention to him,

"Can we talk about what we are going to do?"

Catalina looked up at me and before she could answer, Without taking my eyes off hers, I responded,

"Micheal doesn't get within ten feet of her."

"Why should we trust you?"

I have to be an asshole, but just for a moment.

"Because if I truly wanted to open the lock she would be dead by now and so would Micheal."

Gabriel crossed his arms, "It is not enough."

"What will it take?" I asked, still looking at those beautiful eyes I have come to love. She remained silent as Gabriel answered,

"I have an old friend that would be able to sense if you are lying or not. I want to hear your side of the story with that friend present."

I scoffed,

"After so many years you finally want to hear my side of the story."

He is not the only one hearing your side.

"Do you want us to believe you or not?"

I glanced back to the small girl who held my heart,

Do it. Do it for her.

"Very well, which one of your exasperating friends are we meeting with?"

Gabriel smirked,

"Forseti, You remember her don't you?"

Well damn.

"Who is Forseti?" Catalina asked

"Forseti is The Norse God of Justice, Peace, and Truth. She should be able to tell if I am being truthful or deceitful."

"Well, how do we get a hold of her?" Catalina asked.

Gabriel shrugged and replied,

"It's quite easy. Modern world, modern technology. Unlike The Fates, some of us enjoy the modern world and all its advances." Gabriel excused himself to call his friend. Leaving Catalina and I alone. I couldn't wait a second longer and pulled Catalina closer and wrapped my arms around her.

"I am so sorry I didn't tell you about the rest of the vision. I just…I didn't want you to think that I was just using you and I didn't want you to be frightened."

This is what I was trying to avoid.

I lifted her chin to look into her eyes

"I have never lied about my feelings for you. I might have hidden them but I wanted you to make the choice on your own about how you felt. I would not be another person that took something away from you. Especially a decision about who you share your life with."

"You swear you didn't know about breaking the lock?" her voice was so low I could barely make out what she had said.

"I swear to you, I had no idea."

As she closed her eyes and a small tear traveled down her cheek as I leaned down and kissed the top of her head.

"Please don't shut me out. Yell at me, throw another dagger at my head if you want, but please do not shut me out."

Catalina didn't have time to reply as Gabriel entered back into the house,

"Forseti will be here in about ten minutes. For your sake Lucifer I hope you are telling the truth."

Without taking my eyes off Catalina, I answer

"Don't worry brother, everything eventually comes to light."

* * *

Ten minutes later there was a light knock on the door. Gabriel rushed to the door where Forseti stood. It had been ages since I had last seen her yet she still looked the same. Her long golden hair was braided back, some pieces had fallen out effortlessly framing her face. She still wore that midnight black armor. Every aspect of her screamed that she was ready for battle yet her face was so soft. That was her biggest strength. Countless people had fallen before her because they underestimated her. They trusted and pitied those bright blue eyes and by the time they realized she wasn't so sweet, she already had a weapon logged in their body. "Thank you for making it so quickly," Gabriel said as he ushered her into the house.

"Care to tell me what the big emergency is for such a rush."

Gabriel motioned for Catalina and me to step forward

"We need a favor."

Forseti shrugged,

"And that would be?"

This time Gabriel cut in,

"We need to know the truth about when Lucifer fell."

Forseti nodded as a smirk crossed her face.

"It's about damn time."

Forseti peered over my shoulder, a slight smile brushed her face as she took in Catalina and asked,

"And who might this be?"

My Own.

Gabriel answered her before I could,

"She is a friend of mine. She also has some questions Lucifer needs to answer."

Forseti stared at Catalina and beamed a bright smile at her,

"Well, any friend of Gabriel's is a friend of mine. It is nice to meet you."

Forseti extended a hand to Catalina. She hesitated for a brief moment but ultimately she took Forsetti's hand.

"Well, shall we get started?"

We made our way to the seating area and I tried to grab Catalina's hand but she quickly moved out of my grasp and sat across from me and next to Forseti.

You'll see. I never lied to you. I Promise.

Gabriel took the seat next to me.

"So how do we do this?" I asked.

"Just tell me your side of the story and I will be able to tell if you are lying or not."

"How can you tell?" Catalina asked. Her voice was soft and hesitant as if she was skeptical if this would work or not.

"Oh, it's quite simple. While someone is telling me their version of events I can get inside their head. See, to tell a story there has to be a memory and I can tap into those memories. In a way, it's sort of like time traveling but not really. They might be able to lie through their mouths and words but they cannot lie in their memories. And if a lie is told it's a feeling I will get. Usually, it feels cold and I'll get goosebumps, other times it'll get warm. Either way, my body will have a physical reaction if a lie is told."

Forseti looked at me, amusement in her eyes,

"Let's begin."

Just be open and honest with her.

I looked up at Catalina and instantly my nerves were gone. I didn't care that everyone else in the world thought I was the bad guy. I didn't mind taking that role and frankly, I didn't give a damn what people thought and I had come to terms with my fate. I had accepted that no one would know the truth and would go about their days believing a lie but for some reason having Catalina think of me as this villain that would use her, that would treat her as some pawn in some grand scheme, destroyed a part of me. I didn't care what I had to do or what would even come after but I would make sure she at least knew the whole truth about everything. About me.

"I'm sure Micheal told you about the war and all the Gods coming together and starting a new version of the world."

She nodded her head.

"I had no issues with any mortals during my time with my family. To be quite honest I couldn't care less about them. To me, you were all just another one of many creations that were made. I had much more pressing matters to attend to, like figuring out how to run an entire kingdom and its people."

A kingdom I hope you will get to see one day and people I know you would love.

"One day I was out and I began to hear a voice. At first, it was so quiet it seemed like a child's whisper. Throughout the day the voice kept speaking yet still in that small whisper and I had had enough and decided to listen to it. It was a girl begging and pleading for anyone who was listening to help her. I followed the voice and it led me to the mortal world and found her. Lilith."

Lilith, please forgive me.

"She was alone sitting on the edge of a cliff, her face bloody and bruised. I asked if she needed help and she had asked me to end her. I asked for her name and she told me her name was Lilith and that she was here with her husband Adam. Immediately I knew I could not end her, so I told her I could help heal her and she agreed. I had asked her how many times this had happened and she disclosed that it happened quite often and she had tried many times to find a way out but Adam had always found her. I healed her and I told her if she needed me again then to just call out as she did this time and I would come and help her. Weeks went by and practically once a week Lilith called on me,"

Here we go. We can do this.

"Each time it seemed Adam was getting more and more violent and I worried about her so I started asking around, mainly to healers to see if there was anything I could give her that would help her long-term. Unfortunately, they knew of nothing that could help. So I just continued what I always did, healed her when she called on me. I made one mistake and that was telling Micheal that I could not understand how someone our father created could treat another one of his creations like that and that I wanted nothing more than to wipe people like that off the map. Lilith had called on me again and when I saw her broken, mutilated, bloody body on the ground, thrown as if she were just some piece of trash, I snapped, I healed her of course and she told me what happened. I will not repeat what Adam did. It is Lilith's story to tell and not mine. I told her there was a place she could hide, where she would be safe from Adam and would never have to worry about him again. She of course was more than happy to leave but was concerned about her gift of immortality, As long as she served Adam she would remain Immortal. Pretty simple words to maneuver around."

I will never forget how Lilith looked that day, but only she can say what happened. I swore I would never tell what Adam did to her and that is a promise I will not break.

"To this day Lilith technically serves Adam, She has not married another and neither one of them has officially detested their marriage. So immortal she remains. I took her to a safe place where she could rest and recover, she swore that day to repay me for saving her. I needed a General and despite everything she had been through, I could tell Lilith was strong, smart, and clever, so I made her the Lead General of my armies. Granting her entrance into Hell and before anyone could detest my decision my father and Micheal requested my presence. Next thing I knew Micheal and my father were accusing me of wanting to end the mortals, Micheal himself using my words against me, he told our father of what I said to him the one day when I returned from healing Lilith, but he twisted my words. If my father had just asked what I meant I would have told him that I couldn't understand how one of his creations could harm another so badly and not feel an ounce of remorse and how it would be better for everyone if Adam disappeared. Apparently, Micheal's word meant more than mine and my father banished me and informed me that I would be locked out of Heaven, Purgatory, and Hell. My home. Unless I gave Lilith back to Adam."

That was something I would never do. I would not deliver her to the hands of that monster. Not back then, not now, not ever.

"I could not do that to her. I would not hand her over to the man who had tormented and abused her. And so I fell and I have been here ever since." We were silent for a few moments before Gabriel looked to Forseti and asked,

"Well?"

Forseti was still for a few moments tilting her head to the side as she nodded,

"He is telling the truth."

I saw the shock and astonishment in Gabriel's eyes as he turned to me,

"So you never wanted the mortals dead?"

"The only mortals I have wanted dead are any that have caused her harm." I pointed to Catalina as her eyes briefly caught mine before she turned away.

"He is telling the truth," Forseti said

Gabriel asked again "So you never threatened Adam or to harm the mortals?"

"No."

"He's telling the truth."

Finally, Catalina leaned forward, her eyes still locked on mine. There was still a hint of rage in her eyes, yet there was something else, something that she was trying her best to hide as she spoke,

"Have you faked any feelings for me at all and did you know about how to open the lock?"

Eyes locked on Catalina, I answered

"I never knew any information about opening the lock and I never lied or faked my feelings for you. Ever."

"He's telling the truth."

For a moment everyone was silent until Gabriel asked,

"Do you… Do you love Catalina, Lucifer?"

"Yes," I said without hesitation, my eyes never leaving hers.

"And I will continue to love her even after I take my last breath."

Gabriel looked over to Forseti,

"He's telling the truth."

Damn right I am.

Gabriel looked at Catalina, now with tears in her eyes, and asked "Catalina, do you love him?"

She didn't hesitate either,

"Yes."

She loves me!

Gabriel blew a puff of air from his lungs as he got up to thank Forseti for her help and walked her out.

I didn't care what they were saying or doing. My attention was solely on the woman in front of me. I stood up and took the seat beside her and gently grabbed her hand and held it in mine. She froze for a brief moment before intertwining her fingers with mine.

"So what do we do now?" Gabriel asked as he made his way back over to us.

Leave so I can show her exactly what she means to me.

Catalina stood up, taking her hand out of mine, and said "Now I go back to the house."

"Are you crazy!" Gabriel exclaimed,

"Why would you do that?" I asked her as I stood up from my seat,

"The only reason I am here is because I snuck out, if Micheal realizes I'm gone it could be bad for all of us."

"NO!" Gabriel and I shouted at the same time.

Finally, something we both agree on!

"The best option is to keep you far away from him."

"I agree with Lucifer, it's best to keep you away from Micheal."

"I can take care of myself! I am not completely defenseless."

"Catalina please for once just listen to us!" Gabriel shouted as he made his way towards her.

Catalina opened her mouth to protest but I reached over and grabbed both her hands,

"It is safer for you here with us than out there with him."

Catalina rolled her eyes, "You're both insufferable."

There she is. There's my girl.

I pulled her closer again and gently kissed her forehead.

I've missed her.

Gabriel crossed his arms,

"So what do we do now?"

Before I could say anything, Catalina beat me to it,

"We rest and we come up with a plan. We don't know what we are getting into and we should be prepared for every scenario."

"What do we do about Micheal at the house then? He'll notice you're gone."

"I already locked my door, just go through the front door and tell him you don't want to speak to me and to let me be. Once he goes to bed just come back here."

Gabriel nodded back, a simple yet effective plan.

"That'll work. We should also stand guard at the door and keep watch."

"Agreed."

"I'll take the first shift when I get back, you two talk and rest and I'll see you guys when I get back."

I unwrapped myself from Catalina and held my hand out to Gabriel,

"Thank you brother."

Gabriel grasped my forearm "We'll talk more when I get back."

Within a few seconds, Gabriel was outside and Catalina and I were alone.

Finally.

I couldn't wait a second longer as I bent down to pick her up and carried her up the stairs to her room.

She loves me.